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Two and a half weeks. It’s only been two and a half weeks since the last full moon and, somehow, this has become my life. As much as I’d hoped I could do what I wanted to all by myself, I should’ve known better.
And maybe I did. Rolling my eyes, I gesture at him to come closer before turning to reach behind me. There’s a small bag stowed beneath my back seat. I snag it, pulling out the black sweats I keep tucked inside. This might actually be the first time that I’ve tried to drive out of Muncie since I’ve been mated, but I grew up with a pair of cousins who were convinced I was made of glass. An emergency pair of sweatpants is a necessity.
Us shifters are used to nudity so I barely even bat an eye when Jace shifts from fur to skin. I just toss the pants at him.
“Put those on and get in.”
He knows better than to argue with me when I get that tone in my voice. Shimmying into the black sweatpants, he hops into the passenger seat, gripping the bar with his human hand. “So, where are we going?”
Yeah. It’s a ‘we’, now, isn’t it?
“Just a quick drive down into Muncie. I’ve got to take care of something.”
His shoulder-length pale hair is windblown from his sprint, even though he’d been in his fur as he chased after me. With his lips pursed, he shoves the silky strands out of his face as his eyes flash over to me. “Does the Alpha know that?”
“Nope,” I say cheerily. “You still want to come with? You can always hop back out and pretend you didn’t see me.”
Jace swallows. “And let you go down there alone? That’s worse than Ryker finding out that I couldn’t stop you. At least he’d understand I had no choice about that. But staying behind while you drove out of pack territory? He’d have my head.”
Good point.
“Then hang tight, Jace. We’ll be back before he even knows we’re gone.”
He slants a look at me. “You don’t honestly believe that, do you?”
With a wide grin, I throw the car into drive. “Not even a little.”
* * *
I parkmy Jeep about three blocks away from the bar if only because it’s the nearest spot I can find to Charlie’s. The streets are packed, and when me and Jace take the quick walk downtown, I discover that Charlie’s is, too.
This was a pitstop that I hadn’t exactly planned on making. Since I didn’t want to push my luck, I had intended on heading straight to see Aleks—and then I didn’t. I guess I just needed a little more time before I faced my former roommate again because I came up with this brilliant idea to stop by Charlie’s and see how my co-workers have been getting on without me.
Though service is spotty, I’ve been in contact with Hailey, Carmen, and Tony since I left. Charlie, too. I had to let my boss know that the week I scheduled off had been unexpectedly extended. Luckily, he was okay with it. My co-workers probably weren’t too happy to have to pick up my shifts, but they were too kind to say anything about it. Even Hailey told me to enjoy spending time with my hunky shifter mate.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to say hi. And I had that thought all the way until I stood in front of the doorway that leads into Charlie’s and, through the glass door, I watch the scene unfold.
I see Tony, bussing tables. Hailey’s at one end of the bar, leaning over as she talks to a customer. Even from this distance, I can see the vamp marks she wears proudly on her throat as she angles her head just so. She’s smiling, elbows on the countertop, her low-cut Charlie’s tee pulled lower to show off her boobs.
I catch a sliver of the customer’s profile. The alabaster perfection of his skin, plus the crimson shot in front of him, screams vampire. On a closer look, I recognize him as Dominic Le Croix, one of the higher-ranking vamps in the Cadre.
Huh. Looks like he took Hailey up on her invitation for a free drink down at Charlie’s. And if he’s responsible for the bites on her throat—which, considering that vamps are just as territorial as shifters, he’s gotta be if he’s still hanging around her—then Hailey’s definitely working toward her goal of getting her own fang.
Good job, girl. If it’ll make her happy, she deserves it.
My gaze skitters away from Hailey. Besides her being human and unaware of me lingering just outside, it feels a little intrusive to watch her when she’s making those eyes at Dominic. Instead, I clock some of my regulars at the bar—Jimmy Fiorello is there, so is the perv vamp, Vincent, even Jane—before I notice something else.
No wonder Hailey can flirt with a Cadre vampire while Charlie’s is hopping. Behind the bar, there are two other bartenders that I’ve never seen before. One’s a brunet male, the other a blonde chick, and they’re both wearing a black Charlie’s tee.
I don’t know how to feel about that: proud that it took two bartenders to replace me, or kind of stunned that Charlie actually did replace me.
I mean, I probably should’ve been expecting that. Still’s a bit of a shock, though.
“Hey. You going inside?”
Only my wolf’s amazingly perceptive senses and my stubborn pride keeps me from jumping when Jace sneaks up behind me. To be honest, I kind of forgot that he was with me until he sidled closer, peeking around me to see what I’m staring at.
I don’t move away from him; I’m the alpha, and he’s the one intruding on my space. Shooting Jace a quick look, he clears his throat and takes a few steps back.
